Sweater Nightmare!!

by Doreen MarquartJuly 14, 2018

Have you ever knitted a sweater that was supposed to be basic/easy and have it turn into the “sweater from hell”? Well, I just finished custom knitting one that goes to the top of that list!! The customer had purchased the yarn and pattern from a shop in Maine while on vacation several years ago. Since it was still not started, she decided it was time to have someone else make it for her….if she had any hope of ever actually having a finished garment to wear.

That is where I came in. She brought in the pattern and the yarn (two colors of a worsted weight boucle mohair). The sweater was to be knit on a size 13 needle and she had been assured this was an extremely easy sweater to make so, even though she was a beginner, she shouldn’t have any issues. WRONG!!!!

I won’t go into all the gory details but suffice it to say I went back and forth with the shop several times (it was a shop design) and they finally told me that “this is just one of those patterns that you just have to wing it with”. SAY WHAT??? It’s supposed to be so easy a beginner could do it and she’s saying I should wing it? I can’t even begin to list all the issues this design had.

Those of you who know me well know that there is no way a pattern is going to get the best of me!!! I made up my mind that I was going to figure this out and have it done before I went on vacation the end of July. I hate coming back to problems!!

Well, I finished it. The customer came and picked it up this morning and she absolutely loves it!! I’m not sure if I will take on any more custom knitting or not…..but you can be assured I will not be making this one EVER. I shredded the instructions immediately after I wove in the last yarn end!!!

Just thought I’d share this so you’d know that even the best of us have “those” days!! Now off to line up new projects to take on vacation!!!